


In Love With A Monster

by Littlemetaldevil



Category: Ancient Greek Religion & Lore
Genre: F/F, Gen, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-24
Updated: 2020-07-24
Packaged: 2021-03-04 18:29:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 10
Words: 7,247
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25480942
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Littlemetaldevil/pseuds/Littlemetaldevil
Summary: a blind woman stumbles into Medusa's lair, a human turned Gorgon inflicted with a terrible curse
Kudos: 2





	1. Chapter 1

1\. Beginning 

"the stars are not wanted now; put out every one,  
pack up the moon and dismantle the sun,  
pour away the ocean and sweep up the wood;  
for nothing now can ever come to any good"

w. h. auden


	2. Prologue

i watched him leave, the bitter lump in my throat coming slowly undone as he disappeared in a shimmer, carrying along the slightest scent of the ocean with him. i could hear thunder rumbling already, she was angry. i had been defiled in her temple after all, forced against the sea god with the threat of death, it was only right that she would strike him down for a few millennia.

but it was not to be.

a sudden flash of bright light and she stood before me, her gray eyes glowing with rage. she stood there terrifying and beautiful. i fell to my knees, hoping that she'd understand that it wasn't my fault, i never wanted this to happen. i dared to look into her eyes and saw the pity behind the mask of fury she wore. she knew.

cupping my face into her hands she stared deeply into my eyes, my hazel meeting her steely gray. she kissed my forehead lightly, and suddenly it felt like a flame had been lit inside me. i watched in horror as my nails grew into talons, my hair grew heavier, and it felt like it was replaced with a writhing mass. i watched my goddess as she loomed over me, offering the slightest of smiles at my new form.

"no one can hurt you now," she said. her voice full of regret, she didn't want this anymore than i did. she knew, but there was nothing to be done.

this was my gift and my curse.


	3. Sunrise

the day started out like any other, the scent of crushed pine needles and juniper berries arousing me from my dreams, my ears pricking up slightly as i hear soft footfalls coming outside my cavern, it's not my sisters, i can smell their scent on the cots adjacent to mine. third time this week. 

i stretch luxuriously, my eyes still closed as i bat away brutus as his forked tongue tries to lick my cheek, it's his way of wishing me good morning, i hear cleo hiss angrily on the other side of my head, she's always a grumpy riser. stretching my arm above my head as i make way to the mouth of my cave to investigate the sound, even though i have a pretty good idea of what it is.

as if on cue i hear a man yell it seems to be on my right, i sense the faintest whisper of metal as i picture the sword he's holding slice through the air, not that it'd do him any good, since my transformation mortal metals no longer affected me, my skin seemed to harden whenever a sword came into contact.

i felt the blade hit my shoulder and i winced, just because it couldn't kill me doesn't mean i'm impervious to the sting. i feel andromeda rear up, preparing to strike the stranger for attempting to hurt me, brutus follows suit and without my eyes opening once the man is paralysed, screaming in shock as my snake's venom enters his blood. i slowly open my eyes, watching the man convulse on the floor, being careful not to look him in the face as i watch his stomach heave. he won't die, my snakes aren't potent enough to really kill him, only paralyse. 

soon enough though his screams of pain rouse my sisters, who quickly make short work of their meal. i wrinkle my nose in disgust as i hear them cracking bones as they eat. even though i am the one who became the first gorgon my sisters are the actual monsters. i never liked eating my victims, i usually just keep them as decorations.

but despite my disdain for their culinary tastes the scent of blood stirs my hunger. i need to hunt. grabbing a bow and arrow i make my way to the mouth of the cavern before i turn around.

"i'm going out." i call to my sisters, i see eurydice wave her hand briefly before going back to her meal, sucking marrow from bone.

i make my way into the courtyard, blinking away the honey colored sunlight as i pick my way through the statues, making sure to touch the face of a particularly handsome youth before i make my way down to the forest surrounding the side of my mountain. i sigh in relief as the cool air brushes over me, keeping my ears pricked to listen for deer.

stopping by a small pond i look out from behind a tree carefully, if I look into the eyes of my prey it'll turn to stone becoming useless to me.

a faun.

taking a drink from the pond, it's legs still wobbly as it tries to keep balance. the mother must be by somewhere. as quietly as i can I notch an arrow, holding my breath as i aim steadily for the fauns neck. it would be a clean kill, had brutus and calypso had not decided to fight one another. the deer looks up immediately, nostrils flaring as it picks up my scent. i let loose an arrow.

i hear a small bleat of pain, and a stronger cry from what i presume to be the fauns mother. as i make my way to it i see the doe, nuzzling it's baby trying to make it stand. my arrow had pierced it's leg. the mother notices me and bolts, only running a small distance before turning around to cry for it's baby. 

i kneel before it offering a prayer in thanks to artemis and apollo, and as an afterthought athena. i stroke it's soft fur, and hear it's piercing cries but there's nothing i can do. with the mother watching me i bring my knife to the faun's throat, one smooth press and a jerk of it's leg and it stills. the mother calls out once or twice before heading into another part of the forest.

i sigh heavily and lean back against a tree. my life wasn't always this hard.


	4. Midday

by the time i get back the stranger's body has chunks of muscle torn out of his arms. inwardly i cringe, staring at the cold pools of blood that had wet the stone beneath him. i try not to look at his face, if i did that he'd turn to stone and my sisters would be unhappy. the faun is heavy in my arms, it's limp carcass halfway slung across my shoulders. 

i try not to eat humans, but in the beginning i had no control over my bloodlust, and for that me and my sisters are hunted by "heroes," foolish mortals who claim that the gods sent them, unaware that a goddess is the one who gave me this protection in the first place. the heroes are always male, and even after all these years i still cannot bring myself to let one touch me. i know it's not their fault, i know that, but every time one gets close i panic and my snakes do their job for me. 

i set the faun down by the smoldering fire, making my way to the back entrance of the cavern where a boy with golden armor and a colt with silver and gold wings are playing. the two good things that the sea god has given me. my sons play, chrysaor trying unsuccessfully mount his older brother who just bucks him off whenever he gets himself on his back. i smile as i head back inside to prepare the faun for lunch, i think chrysaor would enjoy a stew, though pegasus will most certainly not eat any of the meat. 

chrysaor is very hungry, as he always is whenever he wrestles with his brother, he smiles as he eats and despite the fact that his face resembles his father i find myself loving him more and more everyday. maybe the gods decided to be merciful to me for once when they gifted me my children, immortals that don't fear to look me in the eyes, blessings that are not repulsed by the filed down boar tusks that protrude from my lips or the snakes in my hair.

pegasus is asleep by the fire, his oversized wings spread out to cover his small body like a blanket. his brown-gold coat covered by a silver wing. he had been content to eat an apple eurydice had given him from one of the trees that grew in her garden. despite the fact that she claims she dislikes them she spoils pegasus whenever they're alone, giving him the juiciest fruit and best grain from the garden that she grows alongside her poisonous plants. 

the way my sons were brought into this world was very strange, my body had been pregnant but unable to give birth, i felt them move, felt their kicks, and the pain in my womb was unbearable, no matter how many months past i was unable to release them, they were trapped in my mortal body for three years. and then a hero came, swinging a sword that was not of mortal metal wildly and screaming like cerberus himself was chasing him, he swung towards my head, and from my blood chrysaor and pegasus had emerged, wet and crying, chrysaor on the cold stone ground wailing his head off, pegasus not moving. 

when i first saw them i was so terrified that i just backed away, clutching my womb where it was no longer full, a hollow feeling forming in the pit of my stomach. if it wasn't for eurydice who dried them off and fed them goats milk they would've been left there. 

eventually i came around to see them, pegasus was trying to stand and chrysaor watching him, eurydice keeping an eye on them until i decided to see them myself. i got closer to them as time went on, though chrysaor originally terrified me enough that i wouldn't look him in the eyes. i was afraid that i would accidentally turn him into stone and when that fear passed it was because he had the same eye color as his father.

i adore both of my sons now, which is why i shove chrysaor behind me when he is on his way to clean his bowl, causing it to shatter when i push him too roughly, my snakes hissing in warning as i taste the scent of a human in the air. they're in my den, i hear a sharp crack-a statue was toppled over. pegasus starts from his nap, moving behind me as i take a step toward where the noise is coming from.

i love my sons, and i will protect them as long as i live.


	5. Twilight

chrysaor unsheathed his sword, a long golden blade that is able to hurt me, a gift from his father on his 6th name day. he cherishes it deeply, even when knowing how he and his brother came to be. 

i push him back, brutus hissing at him in warning, this isn't a child's game, this isn't him wrestling with pegasus, who has awoken from his nap and is staring at the entryway, nostrils flaring and eyes wide, his fledgling wings ruffling. 

without warning pegasus bolts, his body becoming a mottled blur as he raced out of our cavern. fear overtakes me and without thinking i run after him into the courtyard. 

the sun has begun to set and i already see artemis's chariot ascending into the sky, the sky a purplish bruise that dusts the many statues surrounding the entrance of the cave in a haze. fearfully i look around for pegasus, but i do not see him. a soft voice alerts me, like the sound of water dripping over the rocks during the spring showers, demeter crying in joy at the return of kore. 

"nice horse, you won't hurt me will you?...is there a bird somewhere nearby, i feel feathers..."

pegasus.

my snakes start hissing excitedly, content to hear something of the whereabouts of my son. slowly i make my way towards the noise, eyes closed as i pick my way carefully through some broken statues, the voice sounded feminine, maybe not a hero.

as i move forward my dress snags on a pointy piece, a sword probably, or a hand. i stumble and topple one of the statues.

"who-whose there?"

i hear pegasus whinny, trying to calm the person no doubt. 

"mortal, what is your purpose for intruding on my lair?" 

"mortal?" the voice, definitely a female says, she sounds confused, why is she confused?

"do not play games or you will face my wrath!" my snakes are for once silent. why are they silent? what's going on? 

i feel a soft nudge on my hand, pegasus has come to stand beside me. hurriedly i open my eyes to where his golden ones meet my pale yellow. a pleading look.

my attention turns to the woman before me, wearing strange clothes that contrast starkly against her olive complexion, and with a hiss brutus covers my eyes to prevent me from accidentally looking into hers.

it is obvious why he does this though at first a spell of confusion washes over me, he must see the pale milky film that fills her eyes, and for the first time in millennia i am ever grateful for the snakes that adorn my hair.

a blind woman stares at me, her face blank and confused, she hears the hissing of snakes and the soft snorting of my son but no more than this, this is all i can afford to see.

around me the statues that have haunted my memories crumble to dust.

there is no use hiding anymore.


	6. Sunset

she speaks first, voice surprisingly calm, "is this some kind of prank? the guys will pop out at any second right?" she swirls around suddenly, stumbling around with her arms outstretched, expecting to feel the statue that she bumped into earlier and instead feeling nothing. the statues have crumbled to dust millennia ago, and the only thing that had kept them from completely washing away was my memory of them.

here was a farmer who sought revenge for a sheep i had killed, there was a drunken man who had tried to force himself onto me, and there closest to the entrance was a man dressed in strange attire, a helmet on his head that had blonde curls, a strange metal bird had crashed near here and he held a metal stick that shot round pebbles, he shot pegasus and i had no choice. he was still here, the only one left. though his face had been weathered away.

the woman before me came too close, and brutes hissed a warning, she jolted back and i realized how strange the clothes she wears are, a blue fabric covered her legs while another type was covering her torso, and strange shoes she wore, much like the man with the stick. i don't know how much time has passed, i've been hidden away, even my sister had left, though she tried to persuade me to go with her. i didn't and in the end it was just eurydice and i, who refused to leave her garden behind. 

"who are you?" i ask, i have to know how much time i've missed, how many decades.

the woman looks my way, her milky eyes staring above my head. "briseis. " 

i recoil instantly, my back going stiff. a cursed name she beared, oh cruel gods what destruction do you intend upon me? she was the catalyst of the downfall to the great hero achilles, i flinch when pegasus suddenly nudges me out of my stupor. patience has never been his virtue.

"dude chill out." she interrupts me, and the way she speaks makes me pause. what is a dude? "my mom just liked greek myths and she saddled me with this name."

"myths?" 

"you know, pegasus and perseus, hades and persephone, medusa?"

"how do you know my name?"

she laughs, and the sound of it infuriates me. beside me pegasus snorts in indignation, but i can see that he's spooked about it too.

"i'm wearing a ring of her, see?" she shoves her ring in my face and as my eyes adjust to it i see myself looking back, snakes coiled around my head and her finger, fuller lips than my own and her eyes have no pupil in them. how has this blacksmith seen me? and she's wearing it like it's just an accessory, like i'm some sort of accessory.

the setting sun behind me illuminates the courtyard around us, and with all of my willpower i ask her a single question. 

"what year is this?"


	7. Dusk

the woman before me blinks slowly, trying to process what i'm saying, her milk colored eyes are staring right at me, and it's unnerving, i'm careful not to look her in the eyes, instead focusing on her hands, long shapely things, perfect for playing the lyre.

i'm not used to being looked at head on, perhaps i once was, but now? no. 

"it's 2019." she says finally. beside me pegasus snorts a bit, but i sense that she is telling me the truth. it's been four millennia since my transformation. two millenia since my son's were born, and three when my sister left.

the wind shifts and i am able to smell the scent of the ocean on it's current, immediately i feel nauseous. four millennia and nothing has changed, or has it?

"what of the gods?"

"the gods?" her expression turns confused. she has freckles, they contrast nicely with her skin, i used to have them too, but this skin rejected all of my flaws, even the ones i liked. it's not athena's fault, she was ensuring that i had protection, even pretty flaws had to be washed away.

"you know, athena, artemis, apollo...poseidon." pegasus snorts and stamps his hoof into the ground, unlike his younger brother he is ashamed of his lineage. "where are they?"

briseis looks at me again, an even more confused expression on her face. "i don't know what you're on but those gods don't exist. they never have."

the dust swirls around our feet as i stare dumbfounded at briseis. i can vaguely hear the rush of blood in my ears as i process her words, but still i am unable to believe it. 

i don't understand what she's saying, how could the gods not exist when one of them is the cause for my transformation? how could they not exist when i have conversed with the moon and the stars themselves? 

i'm unsure of what to say to this strange human, the one who believes the gods do not exist even when she is wearing my likeness upon her finger.

"may you tell me the story of medusa?" 

i imagine that her face lights up, a wide smile adorning her face that causes her nose to crinkle and eyes to squint. it must be true because her voice is displaying the emotion of joy, how i wish i could look at her face! it has been a long time since i've seen a smile that was from someone who is not my immediate family. 

"would you prefer the long version or...uh...."

my head tilts, confused.

"i don't know the greek word for this...it's kinda like...uh," suddenly she speaks in a language i can't understand, her voice hopeful as if she's waiting for me to say something. 

"forgive me but what language was that?"

her voice turns confused, "i was speaking english, it's my mother tongue. have you never heard english before?" 

i shake my head, before realizing that she cannot see the movement. embarrased i utter a simple "no." i've never heard of english in the many years i've been here. though sometimes hermes would bring me items of things in different regions, that was if i had enough dracmae for his payment of course. 

"really? well i'll try my best to explain then." 

another embarrassing realization occurred to me just then, i am being a bad host, i should've invited her for dinner long ago, before i even started my interrogation. shame fills my cheeks as i realize how dull my manners have gotten and before i can stop myself i grab her wrist and promise to listen to her stories once she has eaten.

the story of medusa can wait.


	8. Midnight

i slowly plate the deer stew i had been simmering earlier, worried about what my guest might think, my mother before me taught me manners when i grew up with her, before i was taken to become a priestess. 

while it is true most priestesses choose to become servants of the gods i was one of the few unwilling, those who were born into slavery or whose husbands had grown tired of them and had them sent away.

though of course whilst growing up i was once betrothed to a fair prince of crete, whose beauty was said to surpass achilles himself, narcissus i believe his name was, my father being one of the most prestigious nobles in apollonia, but in his arrogance he didn't pay the proper tribute to athena, almost forgetting her entirely with a meager single calf as her sacrifice, and even apollo, patron god of our city was unable to quell her rage, so to appease the goddess my father forced me to become a priestess.

the memory of getting assigned to polish the statues of the goddess come unbidden in my memory, and i unintentionally squeeze the bread i am getting kore- i mean persephone, to eat her stew with, crumbling the side i am holding, almost dropping the entire loaf.

shame curdles inside of me like spoiled milk and strangles my throat as i choke back the memory of a young girls cries for her mother as a heavy wooden door closes behind her. it was an honor to serve my goddess as long as i did, but bitter resentment throws me occasionally, mainly when i'm stroking chrysaor's hair as he sleeps. 

he looks more like his father then, his brow furrowing as his dreams become more lifelike than his reality that his body occupies.

i have prayed countless times after the incident, for my death, for forgiveness, for a second chance. but my goddess never answered.

briseis says something, and i realize belatedly that she's feeling around the table, for a spoon perhaps? it's only then i realize that i have been caught up in my mind for too long.

it's time to pay attention to the blind girl at the end of the table.


	9. Dust

i watch briseis as she eats, my eyes mainly resting on her slender hands on habit. it's only when i hear a small clatter, of the spoon being dropped unceremoniously into the bowl that i finally force my eyes to lift higher, but not to her face, to her shoulders only. i am not accustomed to looking anyone in the face.

i do not know where to begin with her, i do not know what to make of the human before me, what to expect, what to brace myself for, or what to tell her if she asks questions. 

i have not explained anything to anyone in millennia, not about me or my children or the snakes that slither in my hair and snap at each other for fun.

i do not know what to say as she starts speaking, her voice a waterfall crashing over the smoothened rock below, soft, elegant, and graceful. her milk colored eyes lighting up with excitement as she begins the tale of medusa, the girl with snakes in her hair.

a bitter lump in my throat forms as i hear her speak about the sea god, the one who has hurt me more than others. 

he is where my story begins, she is where my story will begin to take a life that is beyond my control, i cannot control my life beyond her words and it is only when she says nothing that the silence breaks over me. i am unable to find the words that will contradict hers, to tell her that what he did to me was not as mutual as she claimed, or that the grey eyed one formed me not from malice or misplaced jealousy but if sorrow and pity.

she could not turn on her kind so she had no choice but to turn on me. and while the words i wish to say stick like thorns in my throat i am unable to dislodge them. perseus, whoever that may have been in my garden of stone, was unsuccessful in his attempt to free my head permanently from my shoulders, no matter what the myth says.

some poet must have pitied him and decided to use his tragic death as the basis of his tale, perhaps unable to cope with the idea that a monster like me was still around after so many "heroes" have attempted to rid me.

the dust of the past seemed to have clogged my memory, my dreams becoming fragmented spiderwebs that are unable to let go of the past, in the corner of my eye i see the weathered statue of the last man who had stumbled upon me. his face smoothing out with the dawn of a new era that he will never see. another ghost that will haunt me whenever hades decides that i am finally fit to be one of his subject.

a clatter behind me alerts me to pegasus' presence, who flops his head into my lap to listen to the tale persephone has spun from the depths of her memory. he reacts more than i, snorting disdainfully as he hears the gaudyness of my beheading and how he and chrysaor spring out of my blood into the world. i stroke him absentmindedly, not really paying attention to the story unfolding around me, the story of a monster and a valiant hero who bested it. it's only when she she tells another version do i truly pay attention, this one being of a girl turned monster who is unable to find peace with her life, who becomes a symbol of the abused and provides shelter and aid.

a girl turned into a monster turned into a god.

a girl who is tragic and forgived for the actions she was the root of.

a story of how someone can burn the bridges that were laid by her feet and instead forge a path of gold and silver, a path of redemption.

briseis makes a big show of yawning, covering her mouth a few times before i finally got the hint and shook myself out of the fantasy i was living in.

the night seemed to stretch out before us, the shadows casting their long flickering fingers onto our skin as the candlelight bobbed in and out of existence with the dwindling oil that covered my torches. briseis's head was constantly drooping treacherously near the table and i made pegasus stay with her while i made her a bed, using an old bed frame i myself had carved out of cypress and an old soft linen stuffed with goose feathers. 

i tested it out to find that the quills constantly stabbed through the fabric, and decided to gather the various pelts i kept around for the winter to lay it on top, satisfied when i tested it again and found it to be soft.

hurrying towards briseis again i announced that it was time for bed, she nodded sleepily and pegasus took it upon himself to guide her to bed, making sure to steady her when heavy clad feet tripped on cracks in the floor or on the odd stool. 

once she was safely into bed i began to clean, keeping as quiet as possible as i took the plates to the stream near my home to rinse them. the moon shown brightly down on me and lit up the field and stream around me, turning the water a brilliant silver. 

humming a song to myself i made my way back inside and put out the torches, smiling to myself when i saw that pegasus was sleeping next to my bed, his gold wing underneath his head while his silver one covered his face, trying to block out the light i presume. i allowed myself to undress and to put out the last torch as sleep took over my body.


	10. Stag

i am bathing in a pool of water, the moon high above me soaking into the dark water below, turning the smooth rocks and coarse sand into fine silvery wisps as i lift my feet to swim a bit further out.

my long auburn ringlets flow into the dark water, looking like the red tendrils of an octopus. the trees rustle in the breeze as i feel myself sink into the water, my pale skin flashing in the moonlight like a fish's scales, i rise swiftly when i hear a voice call out, covering myself as little as my hands can before the voice's owner comes into view, a few nymphs have emerged from the trees and with them their mistress, artemis. 

fear shoots through me as i try to slip out of the water to avoid being seen, i'm not supposed to be out of the temple. but before i can slide into the trees the nymph calls out again. i turn to look at them when i notice that artemis has disrobed and has stepped into the pool i have been occupying. 

i avert my eyes dutifully and stay where i am. i hear her approaching slowly, her movements calm and slow as if she is trying to get close to a skittish animal. with my eyes averted i see her feet as she comes to a stop in front of me, to my surprise they're dirty, with the nails slightly overgrown.

i freeze completely when a soft hand tilts my head up, and no matter how mortal her body may seem there is no doubt in my mind that she is a god. her eyes are pale silver and her face has this otherworldly beauty that would put helen to shame, her hair as dark as ink and when she blinks i can see a crescent moon adorning each eyelid, as well as the middle of her forehead, a silvery sheen that glimmers in the shifting moonlight.

she takes my hand into hers and leads me to the group of awaiting nymphs where they all have begun bathing together, once we reenter the group they seem to loosen up, beginning to laugh and splash each other as the dark droplets turned silver against the brightening moonlight. 

one of the nymphs move towards the shore to pick berries from a nearby bush, the dark fruit plump and juicy between her fingers as she tosses it into the goddess's mouth, who catches it laughing, another moves towards a tree to hang up her chiton, when she rushes back into the water screaming. 

instantly the others surround the goddess whilst trying to cover their own selves from the figure who suddenly appears from the trees. a hunter who can't take his eyes off the goddess beside me as he hurriedly disrobes and tries to enter the water to reach her. i avert my eyes from were they were starting to go down the man's torso, it is forbidden for me to look at a man in such way, priestesses of athena must remain pure.

the man comes closer and the nymphs press against each other for comfort, snarling like the wolves who often accompany them, trying to keep the man from touching their goddess, who has gone silent the closer the man has gotten. i steal a glance at her and am surprised to see how clearly she wears the rage on her face. she is fierce and beautiful as she glides past the nymphs, standing in front of her assailant who instantly reaches out to touch her most intimate parts. 

a hush falls around the nymphs as the man's hand reaches out to squeeze the goddess's breasts, but as soon as his hand lands on her tender skin her hand shoots out to slap him. he curses in frustration and brings his own hand down to strike her, only to grab his head as he seemingly doubles over in pain.

the nymphs surrounding me laugh as he begins to stumble around the water blindly, holding his head in what seems to be agony as the goddess watches him unamused.

i can only watch in mute horror as two antlers sprout from his forehead, his dark skin turning into muted brown fur as his fingers break off like glass shards as he thrashes around trying to get away, only to have the stump of his hand turn into shiny cleaved black hooves.

the stag before me bleats in fear as it tries to swim to shore but the nymphs sing out a song that causes a wolf to answer, and soon another answers it's call and then another and another. one by one they appear, and the stag has no choice but to meet them on the shore, it's unsteady hooves try to get sure footing among the small rocks but as soon as it's fully out of the water the wolves descend on it.

they surround the stag completely, and even though i know what's going to come next i still cannot allow myself to turn away. i watch as one of the wolves trip up the stag by running under its hooves, and another bite into it's hindquarters savagely, ripping away the thin fur to reveal the strong muscle underneath, they begin to tear bits of him off and though the stag tries to fight them off it is no use, a wolf steps onto his head and rips out his throat, a spray of blood misting the air surrounding him, i listen to the last terrified bleats it releases before it's cries become nothing but a gurgle of blood that's pouring out of it's throat.

the nymphs resume their bath but i am frozen to the spot i occupy, even the goddess barely spares a glance at the carnage before her as she joins the rest of her nymphs to finish bathing. 

the wolves eat the carcass as the nymphs play in the water and i stare at them dumbly, slightly scared to go near them. 

the goddess is done bathing first and as soon as she leaves the nymphs follow and to my surprise one of the grabs my hand and attempts to get me to leave with their group, but i draw back my hand and shake my head firmly, the goddess looks back to me and a sad expression fills her eyes before she leaves my line of sight, leaving me alone once again.

i hurriedly dress and run back to the temple, hoping no one has noticed my absence.

i awake with a start my eyes flying open to meet green ones, chrysaor has been shaking me, his sword in hand, and with hushed tones he speaks of an intruder who has somehow broken in.

i get up quickly, not bothering to cover up my body as my snakes are the last to wake up fully, tasting the air almost lazily as they look for the intruder. with chrysaor behind me i find her. persephone has bundled herself in the old blanket i've given her so only the top of her brown hair could be seen.

chrysaor nudges me and motions to her, trying to tell me that the intruder is the girl sleeping peacefully. i quickly drag him outside to avoid waking her. as soon as we enter the clearing chrysaor plants his feet and crosses his arms, demanding answers.

"she is a guest in our home and you will not harass her with your sword so put that away!" i hiss, worried that we might be waking her, above us, on the lip of the cave we inhabit pegasus strolls out and stretches almost like a cat, his wings flashing like coins in the morning sun. 

"why was i not notified then?" he demands, an annoyed scowl pressing across his face, and for a moment it is like i am looking at his father. 

i shake my head to get rid of the ghost that haunts me before i can bring myself to answer.

"you were asleep, and i was hoping that your brother would have notified you," i glare up at where he is trotting down to greet us, his wings ruffling at the sight of me.

as soon as he's near i lightly flick his ear which causes him to snort. i lightly stroke his mane before pressing a kiss on his soft head in greeting.

"i thought she was trying to hurt us," chrysaor mutters, the annoyed expression still plastered on his face. 

"hey," i step closer to him and wrap him in my arms, placing a kiss in his dark hair as he sighs against me, "i did not mean to worry you, i am sorry."

with another sigh he presses into me, before wrapping his arms around me and burying his face into my chest as my snakes hum contentedly.

i'll have to make it up to him somehow, i know he sees it as his duty to protext us as we do not have a family member who will and he tries his hardest to fill that role, but he is still a young boy, all too eager to grow up.

i pull back from the embrace when i hear his stomach growl and stifle a laugh as he blushes embarrasedly, with that i go over to where the oven is and light a fire using flint and stone.

as it heats up i ask the boys to watch over our guest as i get dressed with a simple tunic and grab my bow from the mouth of the cave and head into the dense underbrush below us.

it is not long before i sight the rabbit, and with one well aimed arrow to the throat it is dead. i skin it quickly, trying to flay it as chrysaor likes, removing its organs as i try to find the tree I'm looking for.

up above me i spot it, hearing the distinct humming sound enacting from the hive where the bees live, and with a heavy sigh i leave my rabbit on the top of a high rock, notching another arrow to shoot down the hive. it plummets and cracks open like an overripe pomegranate and i work quickly to grab a few sticky combs before the bees figure out what it was that attacked them.

a few stings come my way but i try to ignore them and leave as fast as possible, storing the combs in a small container i had the hindsight to bring with me. picking up the remains of the rabbit before i go i practically run from the broken hive before the rest of the bees have the sense to go after me.

before i could head home however i needed to make one more stop, trying to find where the heavy fruit lay among the tall trees, they had to be ripe enough now. 

i find the fig tree with some difficulty, going past it twice before i realized that i was stepping on some overripe fruit that has fallen. i set down the rabbit again and bring the container holding the honey comb with me as i climb nearly halfway up the tree trying to pick out the ripest fruit that has yet to fall.

as soon as i gather all that i can i head down again and make my way back to home. before i check if the oven is hot enough i make sure to clean the rabbit properly, removing most of the fat, some of which i place in a container for safe keep and the rest i place in the fourno to liquefy it as i throw in some herbs. 

i check on briseis who is still sleeping as i grab the soft dough that i have been making for a few days now and knead it with some of the honey that has gathered at the bottom of the container, deciding to slice up one of the more overripe figs and press it into the dough as well.

as soon as the fruit and honey are incorporated into the dark barley dough i place it in the oven with the herbs, covering it with the dome as i get to work seasoning the rabbit with marjoram, peppercorns that i chop crudely with a knife, and fennel, slicing a bit of another honeycomb to stuff it into the cavity of the creature.

as soon as the bread is done cooking i place the meat into the same bowl the bread once occupied, stepping back as the fat spits up at the new addition. 

behind me i hear chrysaor tell briseis where to go to the bathroom, and once understanding that she cannot see offers to take her there. they emerge from the cave where chrysaor is holding onto briseis's arm tightly as he navigates the safest path downwards, calling out a greeting when he spots me. 

i smile back and greet our guest by name as they pass me, and i see the question in chrysaor's eyes as he leads her to the stream outside our home. he'saware of the tragedy her name holds, and i do not know how to explain it to him yet.

soon enough the rabbit is done cooking and i put it on a platter alongside the still warm bread, setting up the table with the utensils and plates before i go back to fetch the honeycomb.

surprisingly i bump into chrysaor who explains that he forgot to give persephone the soap so she can wash her hands.

"she was appalled to have to use the stream."

"she has no choice but to get used to it. now hurry back the food will get cold."

i slice off a large hunk of the bread, drizzling it with honey and a piece of fig before handing it to pegasus who doesn't eat meat.

as i start to serve the others their portions i instruct chrysaor to give eurydice her plate before settling down himself, briseis is standing awkwardly behind him and i grab her hand to make sure she's properly seated, drizzling her bread piece with honey and figs as well.

as soon as chrysaor returns we begin to eat and he smiles with delight when he sees the figs on the table and the bread. taking a large chunk of honeycomb and splitting it with his brother. 

i sit back slight as i eat, enjoying the warm rabbit and bread as i watch my sons and briseis eat, who all say thank you when they've finished.

all in all it was a good morning.


End file.
